Total newbie looking for tons of advice.

I don't think I have seen it mentioned anywhere, but what vehicle will you be towing with? A Sealine S23 or similar will need a big 4x4 with the maximum tow rating of 3500kg to cope with it. This means a Land Rover discovery, Range Rover, land cruiser or similar.
 
If your in littlehampton, you could do worse than call in to see Andy at sussexboatshop.com
He is a parker dealer and a parker 6 or 7 meter weekender would be ideal I reckon.
Or a merryfisher 755 ??
Keep us informed of your thoughts and potential choices , people always happy to help spend someone else’s money !! ??
Plus the good advice of course !!
 
Hi & welome to the forum from a fellow lady boater. This is a great place to start & where I 1st came for advice when starting out.
If I could make a suggestion...you have a motor home, so perfect, portable accommodation. Why not start with an easily (or easier) towable day boat such as a RIB for the first year to get yourself used to it all & familiar with the various slipways available to you. After a year, you’ll have enough experience of it all to get a much better idea of what suits you. Also, a 2nd hand RIB won’t break the bank & you stand a good chance of getting your money back (or close to it) should you decide to go bigger with on board accommodation.
We’re on The Solent & it’s great for day trips to a variety of places.
Hope to see you out there soon.
Lisa
:)
 
Nosealegsyet said:
I am a very confident road driver, would any of that knowledge spill over to boating or not?
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Well, sort of.

Until you want to stop, or park, or navigate a busy area (no road lanes and even less boaters know the 'rules of the road' than drivers) .......

As others have said, get some training, PB level 2 practical, dayskipper theory. And don't forget to factor in all the safety gear to your budget, the boat is only the start of your spending.
 
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CLB said:
I don't think I have seen it mentioned anywhere, but what vehicle will you be towing with? A Sealine S23 or similar will need a big 4x4 with the maximum tow rating of 3500kg to cope with it. This means a Land Rover discovery, Range Rover, land cruiser or similar.
Click to expand...

Yes I realise this, my car wont do it, its an audi q3, but im fine with chopping it in for something that can.On the 'Which Report' they really slated the Discovery,, and it was very very surprising whats SUV's they said were the best for towing large loads , certainly not what you would expect......
 
Glenlivet said:
Well, sort of.

Until you want to stop, or park, or navigate a busy area (no road lanes and even less boaters know the 'rules of the road' than drivers) .......

As others have said, get some training, PB level 2 practical, dayskipper theory. And don't forget to factor in all the safety gear to your budget, the boat is only the start of your spending.
Click to expand...

Yes I realise, im going to do as many courses as I can, I even fancy the Diesel Engine course! The more knowledge we have and all that lol!
 
lisilou said:
Hi & welome to the forum from a fellow lady boater. This is a great place to start & where I 1st came for advice when starting out.
If I could make a suggestion...you have a motor home, so perfect, portable accommodation. Why not start with an easily (or easier) towable day boat such as a RIB for the first year to get yourself used to it all & familiar with the various slipways available to you. After a year, you’ll have enough experience of it all to get a much better idea of what suits you. Also, a 2nd hand RIB won’t break the bank & you stand a good chance of getting your money back (or close to it) should you decide to go bigger with on board accommodation.
We’re on The Solent & it’s great for day trips to a variety of places.
Hope to see you out there soon.
Lisa
:)
Click to expand...

Are slipways very different Lisa? Ive only seen one lol! and that's the one at Littlehampton, and I would say thatit's is massive. However nothing to compare it too. Is the size of a slipway going to determine what size boat I can purchase? Where would I know where to find all the slipways whilst I havnt got a boat, so I could check them out ? Is there a slipway directory or something? sorry for all the questions, and thanks for responding
 
CLB said:
I don't think I have seen it mentioned anywhere, but what vehicle will you be towing with? A Sealine S23 or similar will need a big 4x4 with the maximum tow rating of 3500kg to cope with it. This means a Land Rover discovery, Range Rover, land cruiser or similar.
Click to expand...
I towed my S23 with a 2.8 Diesel Pajero (Shogun) and 3 litre Vauxhall Monteray (badged Izusu Trooper) The Pajero gears were better suited I thought.
We went down to Spain a few times stopping over at campsites (much to the campers amusement)
Its a big beast to get off and on the trailer so always had it craned. Also saves flooding bearings, cables, brake pads etc with salt water.
We now have a Sealine S37 permanently moored in Spain.
 
NDB said:
If your in littlehampton, you could do worse than call in to see Andy at sussexboatshop.com
He is a parker dealer and a parker 6 or 7 meter weekender would be ideal I reckon.
Or a merryfisher 755 ??
Keep us informed of your thoughts and potential choices , people always happy to help spend someone else’s money !! ����
Plus the good advice of course !!
Click to expand...

If that's the guy that's in the marina, ive already been to see him. Ive seen the merryfishers, if im not mistaken are they the ones with the hard tops and the sliding doors? I don't like that look, I like the ones that are more open, and then you would pull the canopy over I expect if the wind changed.?
 
DavidJ said:
I towed my S23 with a 2.8 Diesel Pajero (Shogun) and 3 litre Vauxhall Monteray (badged Izusu Trooper) The Pajero gears were better suited I thought.
We went down to Spain a few times stopping over at campsites (much to the campers amusement)
Its a big beast to get off and on the trailer so always had it craned. Also saves flooding bearings, cables, brake pads etc with salt water.
We now have a Sealine S37 permanently moored in Spain.
Click to expand...

DAvid what do you mean by had it craned?
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Did you keep it on the water all the time then? How far would you get in a day ?How did it run on fuel, sorry for all the questions.
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Yes is was kept in the water . Only lifted for a clean up and out drive service.
The distance you can travel is limited only by your endurance.
At river speed of about 4.5knots the kad32 engine used 3litres per hour.
At 25knots 30 litres per hour.
 
By the way my present boat has twin kad32's.
They are not much trouble . I did have a turbocharger reconditioned and that was the only significant unexpected expense in 11 years boating.
 
Nosealegsyet said:
If that's the guy that's in the marina, ive already been to see him. Ive seen the merryfishers, if im not mistaken are they the ones with the hard tops and the sliding doors? I don't like that look, I like the ones that are more open, and then you would pull the canopy over I expect if the wind changed.?
Click to expand...

Hello Nosealegsyet,

There are basically 3 types of power boat:-

Open day boats, great in the med but less so on the choppy Solent. I had a Cap Camarat 625 WA
Patio door boats, great when it's rainy or windy but no wind in the hair experience like merry fisher style
Traditional sports oats with wrap around windscreen and a pram canopy for inclement weather. Like sealine S23

I've had the first type and whilst it was great fun I felt very exposed. I therefore hankered after a merry fisher type but decided I was too insulated inside, particularly on a sunny day.

So I ended up buying the third type, which, with the addition of a diesel heater gives me all the benefits of a merry fisher type and the roof down of a day boat. Mine is unusual in that it is outboard powered but it's the future....
The engine is easy to work on, lifts out of the saltwater and is relatively economical in boatyIMG_20180926_102037.jpg terms ( 3 mpg).

As for towing I would forget it. It's a major evolution not for the faint hearted.
 
hi hot property,

For the very reasons you have said, that's why I want the third choice too. Im so embarrassed to admit why I thought I would have to tow, I found a fuel calculation online for boats, and I must of misread it, as I thought it would cost me hundreds of pounds in fuel to get anywhere, so my brainwave was to tow the thing to cornwall or whatever and then boat around that area etc etc and then tow home. But looking at Martins figures I have obviously got it wrong, so if I don't need to tow, then it would give me more options wouldn't it? If boats aren't towed, are they always get in the water? Also then if you wanted to visit a certain place and park the boat would you find out where all the marinas were. Ias that how its done?
 
MartynG said:
Yes is was kept in the water . Only lifted for a clean up and out drive service.
The distance you can travel is limited only by your endurance.
At river speed of about 4.5knots the kad32 engine used 3litres per hour.
At 25knots 30 litres per hour.
Click to expand...

Would you cross the channel in it, or wouldn't it be able to cope with the English channel currents?
 
Nosealegsyet said:
hi hot property,

For the very reasons you have said, that's why I want the third choice too. Im so embarrassed to admit why I thought I would have to tow, I found a fuel calculation online for boats, and I must of misread it, as I thought it would cost me hundreds of pounds in fuel to get anywhere, so my brainwave was to tow the thing to cornwall or whatever and then boat around that area etc etc and then tow home. But looking at Martins figures I have obviously got it wrong, so if I don't need to tow, then it would give me more options wouldn't it? If boats aren't towed, are they always get in the water? Also then if you wanted to visit a certain place and park the boat would you find out where all the marinas were. Ias that how its done?
Click to expand...

I think you should start off boating close to home, others have already said the Solent is a good place to start. We have a pontoon berth on the Hamble meaning we can just rock up, covers off and go boating. Allow £2,500 for a more ramshackle boatyard, £4 to £5 k for a swanky one!! I spend around £500 on maintenance and fuel depends on use. If it's not at least £1,000 then sell the boat as you are not using enough to warrant the overhead....
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Would you cross the channel in it, or wouldn't it be able to cope with the English channel currents?
Click to expand...
The S23 would be more than adequate to deal with currents. However it would not deal with waves as well as a bigger boat.
I am sure people have crossed the channel in such boats but they would be looking carefully at the weather and the sea state.
My wife would no go out to sea in our S23. We have a F33 and she is okay in that.
Even so after experiencing a moderate sea she likes the sea state to be slight.... and I agree with her.

It takes quite a while to become confident handling a boat. Don't run before you can walk.
 
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